Case Studies
by Hidden Relevance
Summary: A series of short ficlets/drabbles/Conner only knows what else. Various themes/pairings. Mostly just for my own amusement.
1. Too much fun

**Whoo hoo!! Caity FINALLY recieved her copy of MI, and it was awesome. I sped through all 20 episodes in 2 days I think lol. In any case, I'm starting up a new little ficlet/drabble/whatever series for MI. Hope yall enjoy them- there really won't be a lot of point to these.**

Somewhere in the back of their minds, both Stephen Conner and Frank Powell realized that they really shouldn't have been having as much fun as they were. Considering the laundry list of calamities they'd dealt with thus far (everything from natural disasters to terrorism to familial disintegration), one would think the logical response would be closer to panic or rage. Raw sorrow also seemed likely—especially considering that one of their own was on his death bed and would remain there if their current mission failed.

Still, the fact remained that the two friends were indeed enjoying themselves (illogical though it might have been). It was odd how easily they'd slipped back into the commando mindset. Hell, sneaking onto the base had been like riding a bike, and Stephen just knew Frank had been dying for the chance to hotwire a truck. His friend got that same look on his face every time he had an excuse to whip out his lock picks on a case. Not to say that Frank was the only one having a blast. After all, how often did a grown man have a legitimate reason for driving _through_ a locked gate in a stolen vehicle at high speeds? Not nearly often enough, in Stephen's opinion.

Thus, when Natalie and Kate met them in the hall of the battered little hospital, they found the two men grinning like fools, their smiles wider than either woman had seen from them in quite a while. Frank's quip about 'liberating' the stolen medicine actually surprised a chuckle out of Nat; Kate didn't, as she was still too shocked at the thought of her premier NIH team committing what might be considered an act of war against the local government to muster up the necessary energy.

Later, Miles would be quite depressed that when he discovered that he'd missed out on their intimidating leader smiling.

**I won't beg, but reviews really do make me write faster!**


	2. One prompt at a time

**This was a fun set of prompts to do! Basically, you do one single sentence for each of the prompts to follow. Trust me- it's harder than it looks!**

_BTW, Medical Investigation and the smexy Neal McDonough are still not mine!_

**01 Walk **

Natalie wasn't sure her boss knew how to just walk; in the years they'd worked together, she had never seen anything other than the powerful predatory stride that seemed to simply be a part of the mystique that was "Dr. Stephen Connor."

**02. Beauty **

She was not a traditional 'beauty,' Stephen knew, but he had years before discovered that freckles would never be more beautiful than they were on her.

**03. Catch **

Those were the moments he cherished most: the simple pleasures of playing catch with his son out at the park, relaxing as if his cell might never ring again.

**04. Speak **

When Eva finds she is truly their voice, it is an almost surreal revelation: she has become that entity which both withholds and dispenses truth seemingly (to the public at least) at random, a role she's not sure she can play forever.

**05. Lack**

It was much harder than Lisa expected to take that first step: admitting to both Stephen and herself that, while there really wasn't anything missing per se, there simply was no longer enough of something… anything to keep their marriage together.

**06. Mine **

Nat struggled not to laugh at the petulant look in her boss's eyes as he stalked over to grab the coffee cup she'd 'borrowed' from his desk.

**07. Laugh **

Most of the time there is little to find amusement in on their cases, but every so often they'll have one of _those_ patients, and Stephen's bark of laughter will bring a grin to each of his colleagues' faces.

**08. While **

His failures are a series of 'where were you while': while his son was growing up, while his wife was growing apart, while his life was passing him by.

**09. Youth **

Frank didn't care how old his baby girls got; they'd still never be too old to sit in his lap and feel loved.

**10. Stay **

She knows he'll never ask her to stay when he needs her, so Nat has grown adept at knowing when that might be even without the words.

**11. Fill **

Stephen leaned against the team's massive SUV as he filled up the tank, quietly thanking God that he could write the horrible gas bills off as a business expense.

**12. Distraction **

There was absolutely nothing romantic about dissecting a former patient, so Natalie was fairly certain she could blame her present blush on none other than the blue eyes that had so deliberately winked as Stephen left her to her work.

**13. Fear **

Rubbing warmth back into his frozen body and staring forlornly at Frank's bound form, Stephen refused to admit that he was afraid this time they might actually lose one of their own.

**14. Crash **

There was a sudden cacophony of glass shattering and metal slamming against the wall, as Stephen burst back out of the director's office; apparently the Wicked Witch was _not_ happy to see him.

**15. Look **

Eva resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the 'not a couple' that were currently sharing the kind of look that could melt a glacier.

**16. Begin**

His missions always began the same way: with a ringing cell phone and a disappointed family.

**17. Second **

She isn't going to be his first love or even his first wife, but Natalie is determined to be his last of both.

**18. Violet **

He knows things about her, though he might not realize he does: that she likes a cold beer after a long day, that she loathes the freckles he's so addicted to, and that her favorite color isa shade she insists is _not_ purple.

**19. Candy **

Eva shuddered a little to herself and swiftly crammed the bag of pixie sticks into her purse; any one of her teammates on a sugar high would likely be a very frightening scene.

**20. Nothing **

Despite what his ex-wife might have thought, if it came down to his son's life, there would be absolutely nothing that would keep him away.

**21. Familiar **

To anyone watching, their movements might seem as choreographed as a dance, but in truth, it was only that they knew each other so well—that each could trust that the other would be waiting right where they were needed.

**22. Show **

Stephen had no patience for the 'showmen' his team occasionally encountered; those doctors played to an audience, and considering the kinds of cases the NIH was called in on, Stephen had neither the time nor the desire to feed their egos.

**23. Day **

His sleepless nights were always harder to face than his days: after all, he was expected to stay awake in the daylight hours.

**24. Ask **

It was a relatively simple thing that finally hinted at his love for her: from a man who usually barked orders, his almost shy request for a moment of her time had her blushing like a school girl.

**25. Think **

He knows his colleagues laugh about his so-called 'psychic' moments, but it doesn't faze him anymore; after all, it's not their fault his brain tends to run like a damned super computer.

**Review please! And feel free to do your own set of sentences so I can see!!**


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